Mollywood actor Dulquer Salmaan has responded to criticism surrounding the box-office performance of his latest Malayalam film, ‘I’m Game’. The actor defended his production team after a fan alleged that it was responsible for the film’s underperformance.Released on September 3, ‘I’m Game’ marked Dulquer Salmaan’s return to Malayalam cinema after a three-year gap. The film received mixed responses following its theatrical release. The discussion gained attention after a fan posted on X about an earlier thread that criticized the production house. Dulquer Salmaan responded to the post and acknowledged some of the points raised by the fan. However, he also explained why he believes the outcome of a film cannot always be attributed to a single factor.
Fan blames the production house for ‘I’m Game’ performance
A fan on X claimed that the production house had made several mistakes while handling the project. The user referred to a detailed thread that had been deleted after being posted following the film’s release.“There was a very long thread (Now deleted) which I posted after the release of ImGame. I have explained how WF messed up the project. It’s true that sometimes it goes out of control but this time it was pure mistakes that happened from the production side. Hope you have seen that thread DQ!” the fan wrote.Dulquer Salmaan replied to the post after reading the fan’s analysis. He admitted that the assessment was largely accurate. At the same time, he pointed out that filmmaking involves several factors that may not remain within a team’s control.
Dulquer Salmaan says films cannot follow a formula
The actor explained that a production team can make the right decisions and still face circumstances that affect the final product. He also highlighted the scale of collaboration involved in making a feature film.“I read through it. I’m not saying you were wrong in your analysis. You were mostly right. And trust me we are aware of all of it. But there are just times when from our end we can do everything right. But outside factors or other circumstances can turn those upside down. It’s easy to analyse an end product or result. But it takes 2-300 people to make a film. It’s never easy. Never simple. And never something you can apply formulae or academics to,” wrote Dulquer Salmaan.
‘If you want to blame someone you can blame me’
Dulquer Salmaan also made it clear that he would not distance himself from his production team. Instead, he said he would stand by his colleagues despite the criticism directed at Wayfarer Films.“I’ll always stand by my team and if you want to blame someone, you can blame me.”The actor expanded on his position in another response. He said that no production house or actor deliberately sets out to make a bad film. He also compared the filmmaking process with the unpredictability of life.“No production house or actor in world cinema intends to make mistakes or a bad film. In life has everything gone the way you intended? So imagine an entity that operates with an internal team and multiple external teams. I’ll always stand by my team and if you want to blame someone you can blame me,” added Dulquer Salmaan.
‘I’m Game’ marked Dulquer Salmaan’s Malayalam return
Directed by Nahas Hidhayath, ‘I’m Game’ features Dulquer Salmaan in the lead role. The cast also includes Kayadu Lohar, Mysskin, Antony Varghese, Samyuktha Viswanathan, Vinay Forrt and Kathir.The film arrived in theatres on September 3. However, the film received mixed responses after its theatrical release ETimes gave ‘I’m Game’ a rating of three out of five stars.